As the sport of flag football continues to grow across the African continent, the Golden Flags from Riviera Golf beat the Black Scorpions of Koumassi 56-6 to defend their Côte d'Ivoire national championship crown.

The Ivoirian Federation of American Football (FIFAM) hosted the title game at the John Wesley Methodist School in Angré which was attended by members of the Ministry of Sports, the Ivorian National Olympic Committee, and presidents of various Ivoirian sports federations.

The two teams hail from Abidjan, the cross-city rivalry pitching the Golden Flags from the northside against the Black Scorpions from the southside. It was the young Black Scorpions who took an early 6-0 lead, but the more experienced Golden Flags tied the game before racing ahead to an eventual fifty-point advantage.

Full highlights of the game, which includes some great drone camera angles can be watched here.

“We would like once again to give a huge thanks to the Ministry of Sports of Côte d'Ivoire, to the National Olympic Committee and to the presidents of other sport federations of the country,” said Stéphane M’Boua Névry, president of FIFAM. “Thanks for the presence, guidance, support and act of solidarity during FIFAM Championship Game.”

Earlier this year, Africa’s flag football presence reached new heights when Cameroon became the continent’s first nation to participate on the world stage at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland in August.